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Glossary entry

Spanish term or phrase:

materias corruptas

English translation:

polluting, or contaminating materials

    The asker opted for community grading. The question was closed on 2019-08-07 00:54:08 based on peer agreement (or, if there were too few peer comments, asker preference.)
Aug 3, 2019 06:34
4 yrs ago
2 viewers *
Spanish term

materias corruptas

Spanish to English Social Sciences Government / Politics
"Son el mismo miasma", es decir, que ambos son efluvios malignos que se desprenden de cuerpos enfermos o materias corruptas (aunque Chávez inmediatamente nos aclaró que los llamaba miasma "por no usar otra palabra" ¿En cuál estaría pensando?).

I get the idea of evilness and corruption but I can't seem to find the right equivalent here. I am trying to more or less compensate for the lack of a precise term in English but having some difficulty doing so. Does anyone know what materias corruptas might mean in this context? Unclean materials?
Proposed translations (English)
4 polluting, or contaminating materials
4 excretnentitious matters
4 putrid substances fanned by corruption
4 putrescent (organic) matter
3 corrupt swamps
3 miasma
3 rotting matter

Discussion

Joss Heywood Aug 3, 2019:
"Miasma" is a perfectly good English word too. "materias corruptas" would be "rotting matter"
miasma
/mɪˈazmə,mʌɪˈazmə/
Learn to pronounce
nounLITERARY
noun: miasma; plural noun: miasmas
an unpleasant or unhealthy smell or vapour.
"a miasma of stale alcohol hung around him"
synonyms: stink, reek, stench, smell, odour, malodour; More
an oppressive or unpleasant atmosphere which surrounds or emanates from something.
"there was a miasma of despair over this place"
philgoddard Aug 3, 2019:
Here's the context This is Chávez talking about George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
http://www.rionegro.com.ar/el-proceso-de-bushificacion-CLHRN...

It's funny that Helena has detected some bad journalism - the writer has lifted the definition of "miasma" from the dictionary without attribution. Little do they know that we know...

I think I would rewrite this, perhaps taking an English dictionary definition and adapting it.
Chema Nieto Castañón Aug 3, 2019:
The original is using terms and expressions in Spanish that were common in the XIX century and before. An actual regular Spanish reader would only hint at the feeling that something discusting is being said in a rather elegant but clear way. In fact, materias corruptas, in this context, refers particularly to excreta but also to pus and other "malignant humours" formed in a body. There is little chance that most readers would get this old and medicine-related reference -just as with "miasmas"- but most Spanish readers would surely have the clear perception of something discusting when materias corruptas is heard or read.

I have proposed an old fashioned and somewhat equivalent English term ("excretnentitious"). A modern rendering ("excrementitious") is just too graphic for my taste -when compared with the euphemistic materias corruptas. No matter what, the proposed rendering (excretnentitious matters) might be a bit too obscure or even sound as a typo. There is most probably some interesting, old and yet clearer expression to convey a similar idea. I just hope this might help ;)
Saludos
Helena Chavarria Aug 3, 2019:
@Derek I typed "materias corruptas" and the WR link appeared in second place.

The following reference was on the same page:

miasma.
Del gr. μίασμα míasma 'mancha1'.

1. m. o f. Efluvio maligno que, según se creía, desprendían cuerpos enfermos, materias corruptas o aguas estancadas. U. m. en pl.

https://dle.rae.es/srv/search?m=30&w=miasma
Derek Voglis (asker) Aug 3, 2019:
Did you directly search that specific term or did you have to do some looking around in WR?
Toni Castano Aug 3, 2019:
@Derek Take a look at this link, where your search term is explained:
https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/se-desprenden-de-cue...

Proposed translations

10 hrs
Selected

polluting, or contaminating materials

This is self-evident.
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Selected automatically based on peer agreement."
1 hr

corrupt swamps

I think the author is contrasting people and situations. 'Swamps' works nicely with 'miasmas', since that's where they emanate from. The idea came to me from the common reference to "draining the swamp" of corruption in Washington, D.C.



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Note added at 1 hr (2019-08-03 08:21:29 GMT)
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If not persons, then entities for "cuerpos enfermos." But the "materias" I think refers to overall situations.
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12 hrs

miasma

Why not?
Peer comment(s):
neutral Muriel Vasconcellos : It has already been mentioned in the text. There needs to be something different.
2 hrs
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14 hrs

rotting matter

leaking from sick bodies and rotting matter
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2 hrs

excretnentitious matters

emanations or effluvia from sick bodies and excretnentitious matters
https://www.google.es/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://...

Por utilizar una metáfora médica equivalente en cuanto a sentido, sonoridad y registro.

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Note added at 8 hrs (2019-08-03 15:11:26 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

blood and humour by the increased heat, and partly to eject the excretnentitious matter into which the humours are resolved through appropriate emunctories
1825
https://books.google.com/books?id=ReYEAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA129&lpg=...

As the blood which they draw contains no heterogenous particles, they require no aperture to carry off the excretnentitious parts
1807
https://books.google.com/books?id=OcIPAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA163&lpg=...

they can always be found attached to excretnentitious matter dropped by the bats, rats and ...
1872
https://books.google.com/books?id=MsEEAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA418&lpg=...

Excretnentitious Substances applied as Manure
1818
https://books.google.com/books?id=FI1IAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA123&lpg=...

a fluid re-_ sembling- coffee grounds was discharged, which on examination appeared to be a substance similar-to the excretnentitious matter from a bag.
1797
https://books.google.com/books?id=MCtcAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA26&lpg=P...

designed for the reception of the excretnentitious parts of the blood
1749
https://books.google.com/books?id=xxdgAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA383&lpg=...

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Note added at 15 hrs (2019-08-03 22:32:10 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

i.e.
They are the same miasmata/miasma, this is, they both are poisonous/noxious effluvia arising from sick bodies and putrescent/excretnentitious matter


Fevers of infection have hitherto (at least since the time of Sir Jolm Pririgle) been considered as arising from marsh miasmata and putrid exhalations; while contagioas fevers were supposed to be occasioned by emanations or effluvia from sick bodies and excretnentitious matters.
https://www.google.es/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://...

Miasmata
noxious exhalations from putrescent organic matter
Poisonous effluvia
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/miasmata

Noxious effluvia
http://dictionary.webster.us/miasmata

See also, miasmata, pg. 199 (from 1838)
https://books.google.es/books?id=PmFFAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA605&lpg=P...
Peer comment(s):
neutral Rachel Fell : excrementitious?//I just meant that the spelling was incorrect ;-)
51 mins
Not a modern term -as the original "materias corruptas". Both refer to "excreta": waste matter discharged from the body, especially feces and urine. And both expressions (Spa & Eng) were used more than a century ago... // Good bunch of old references...
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16 hrs

putrid substances fanned by corruption

- an oblique reference to excrement 'hitting the fan'.
Reference:

http://www.wordreference.com/es/translation.asp?tranword=putrid

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1 day 6 hrs

putrescent (organic) matter

A very similar example sentence: "En el campo de la bactereología, el efluvio maligno que desprenden los cuerpos enfermos, la[s] materias corruptas o las aguas estancadas, se llama miasma. Pero hay algunos “miasmas” que no afectan a la materia, sino al espíritu humano." (https://diariojudio.com/opinion/el-antisemitismo-miasma-de-s...

Here, "las materias corruptas" can be safely translated as "putrescent (organic) matter". The inclusion of 'organic' in the phrase makes it sound more natural, in my opinion.

The entire sentence might thus read:
"'They are both the same miasma,' they are both excretions that emanate from diseased bodies or putrescent organic matter, (although Chávez immediately clarified that he called them that 'in order not to use another word.')"

Reference:

https://diariojudio.com/opinion/el-antisemitismo-miasma-de-satanas/240292/

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/miasma

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